Now is the perfect time to reflect and celebrate the world we live in. Why not hold a family summit, share what you love about our planet and make a pledge to do your bit.
Changes in our global climate could have an effect on so many things that we love, from football to flowers, seasons to school, holidays to homes, it can be a sad or scary thing to think about. But there’s hope!
As a family you could decide to make positive changes in your lives to reduce your carbon footprint and help the planet. So why not gather together and come up with a plan? You can even have a great time doing it.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
- To pick a day for your summit
- Pens and paper
- Internet connection
- Low carbon snacks (Think about where the ingredients came from and how they got here. What is the packaging made from? Could you think of something that is just as yummy but has a lower impact on the planet?)
STEP BY STEP
1. Plan your day
We’ve made some suggestions for what your family summit could look like, but this is your day so make it suit you. Be creative, active, positive and fun and make sure there is something for everyone in your family.
2. Start your summit with a clear head
Family yoga, a breathing exercise or even just a moment of silence could be a great way to bring you all together and clear your minds ready for the family summit. Or, if you have a garden or balcony, you could take a walk outside. Can you spot any morning wildlife? How about breakfast together? Eating together is a great way to bond, and a healthy breakfast will give you energy for your day. Whatever you choose, think about making a creative and calm environment for even the most energetic members of the household!
3. So what’s all the fuss about?
Do you know what climate change is? What causes it and what action needs to be taken to reduce the effects? Before we can take positive action, we do need to understand what we are faced with. Your first challenge is to discover climate change and share your findings with your family. To get you started, here’s a link to NASA’s climate kids.
4. Love your planet
When talking about climate change, it is easy to start to feel sad, angry or scared; this is understandable when it is such a complicated subject, but a great motivation for change is love.
Why not try to name things about our planet that you love? Changes in our climate could affect so many things, so think about all the things you love and how they might be changed. Sport, food, landscape, holidays, homes, wildlife…. The list goes on.
Be creative about how you share. Can you make it into a game like I-spy? Or stand in a circle and throw a ball between you, naming something you love on every catch. Could you draw them or write them in a list to stick up? It’s up to you, but this challenge is to fill your house and your day with all the things you love about our planet.
5. Calculate your impact
Do you know what impact your family has on the planet? It’s time to find out. It can be a bit tricky but CAT has created a web page that explains how to figure it out with links to online calculators. The important thing is to be honest at the start so you can make positive changes in the future.
6. Make a family pledge
At the end of the summit can you agree on a pledge or a list of pledges that you are going to make as a family to lower your carbon footprint, be healthier and support a healthier planet? Can you proudly display your pledges somewhere at home for everyone to see?
7. Share your pledges with us
Use social media and video chat to inspire others to hold their own family Earth summit and encourage change in their households. We would also really love to hear from you! To share your pledges, why not post them on CAT’s facebook page or tag @centreforalternativetechnology #CATatHome.
